8/25/14

Fall-Off-The-Bone Baby Back Ribs

An easy recipe for baby back ribs baked low and slow in the oven on a bed of onions that are so tender the meat falls off the bone.


When I say these ribs are “fall off the bone” good, I mean it. My kitchen looked like a voodoo den today. There were bones everywhere. Without a scrap of meat on them.

It looked like some phantom from Scooby Doo had been through and left nothing in its wake but bones.

These ribs cook low and slow in the oven on a bed of on thick onion slices to keep them out of the pan juices (so they roast instead of boil). Then you finish them off with barbeque sauce and you’re ready to chow down.

Fall-Off-The-Bone Baby Back Ribs cooked low and slow on a bed of onions that are so tender the meat falls off the bone.

A friend of mine popped over when I was making these one day and I was somewhat apologetic about cooking them in the oven instead of on the grill. Because, I mean, we’re in the South so we’re all supposed to be grill masters, right?

[Cut to scene of me standing next to a giant grilling contraption (prolly made out of steel barrels on wheels with a trailer hitch) with a stack of hickory chopped and on the ready behind me with a Bud Light in one hand and a barbeque baster the size of a janitor’s mop in the other]

Fall-Off-The-Bone Baby Back Ribs cooked low and slow on a bed of onions that are so tender the meat falls off the bone.

He surprised me by saying he used to work at one of the big rib restaurants in town and the way I was cooking them was almost exactly the way they cooked them at the restaurant. They cooked them low and slow in the oven and only popped them on the grill when it was time to sauce them.

Get. Out.

I love it when I figure this stuff out on my own. And it sure beats standing out in the heat, sweating my gonads off, swatting mosquitoes for hours.


Fall-Off-The-Bone Baby Back Ribs


Yield: 4-6 Servings
Author:
prep time: 10 Mcook time: 4 hourtotal time: 4 H & 10 M
An easy recipe for baby back ribs baked low and slow in the oven on a bed of onions that are so tender the meat falls off the bone.

ingredients:

  • 2 racks baby back ribs
  • Salt
  • Pepper
  • Garlic powder
  • Paprika
  • Barbeque sauce
  • 3-4 onions, peeled
  • 1/2 cup beer (approximately)
  • 2 teaspoons liquid smoke (optional)

instructions:

How to cook Fall-Off-The-Bone Baby Back Ribs

  1. Remove the thin skin (or membrane) from the back of the ribs. Simply slip the point of a knife under the skin on one end then lift up to create a gap. Slide your fingers under the skin then pull the skin off. I can usually get a better grip if I use a paper towel to grab the skin.
  2. Season both sides of ribs liberally with salt, pepper, garlic and paprika; set aside.
  3. Slice onions into 1/2" rings and place them in the bottom of a large roasting pan (or two smaller ones – use whatever you need so that the ribs can cook in a single layer). This is to create a layer that will keep the ribs elevated so that they’re never sitting in (boiling in) the cooking liquid.
  4. Pour just enough beer into the pan to cover the bottom.  Add liquid smoke to the beer.
  5. Arrange rib racks in a single layer on top of onion slices. Cover pan tightly with two layers of aluminum foil (if your pan has a lid, cover with a layer of aluminum foil and the lid). Bake at 300 degrees for 4 hours. Remove ribs from oven and uncover.
  6. Increase oven temperature to 375 degrees. Drain pan juices from pan (either with a turkey baster or by carefully tipping the pan). Baste ribs with barbeque sauce then return to oven. Continue baking ribs, uncovered, for 5 minutes or until sauce is heated through and slightly sticky. Remove ribs from oven, tent with foil and rest for 15 minutes before serving.
  7. Discard onions.

NOTES:

Feel free to use apple juice, water, root beer or another cooking liquid if you'd prefer.
You can use carrots, apple rings or celery instead of onions if you prefer. The veg is there as an aromatic and to lift the ribs up out of the cooking liquid so they don't boil.
ribs, babyback, baby back, tender, moist, best, grilled, baked, oven, fall off the bone, chilis, beer, recipe, how to, bake, bbq, barbeque, smokey
Created using The Recipes Generator


This recipe was shared at the Weekend Potluck!

Keep up with my latest shenanigans by following South Your Mouth!


45 comments:

  1. You are too pretty to have gonads.

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  2. Just made these and they are fantastic!!! Falling off the bone, tasty and so easy to prepare!

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  3. Ideas for the left over onions.......

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    1. I would use a sweet onion like Vidalia and then eat them as a side with mushrooms sauteed in butter added to them. Never throw out a perfectly good onion!

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  4. You can certainly eat them if you like but I just throw mine out.

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  5. Though I do follow the same recipe when cooking ribs there is one thing that you did not mention that I do... I remove the membrane from the back of the ribs. It is quite easy...just pull up starting at the corner and pull and the rest of the membrane will come off. This only adds to the tenderness of the completed ribs!

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    1. That is exactly what I was thinking about. Thank you for that comment.

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    2. ���� me too! Ribs have been my nemesis for years until this recipe combined with taking off that membrane. Now ribs are one of my specialties! Fabulous Mandy!!

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  6. What can I use instead of onions?

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    1. This comment has been removed by the author.

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    2. I like to use green pepper rings (sometimes red, yellow or orange as well depending what is on sale/in season) so if you do not like onion, but do like peppers you could try that.

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    3. I've tried sliced apple rounds and also 1 inch sliced sweet potatoes...family liked them both as long as I kept the original fall off the bone rib recipe!

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    4. If you don't want the flavor of onions, you could put a rack in the pan and if you don't have a rack you could use metal cookie cutters to sit them on or form a stand out of aluminum foil.

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    5. We use carrots and serve them with the meal

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  7. Sounds delicious! I am going to try this recipe this weekend as I have several racks of baby back ribs in the freezer!!! Thanks for sharing!

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  8. I use potatoes instead of onions - they are delish!

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  9. do you boil ribs first? then pop in oven?

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    Replies
    1. Noooooooooooooo

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    2. pork blasphemy

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    3. NEVER! Slow and low in an oven only!!! You DO NOT want to boil out flavor…that is the point of doing them in the oven.

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  10. I just made this using some leftover celery stalks instead of onions, worked great! The idea is to just have something to keep the ribs from touching the pan, plus adding some aromatics, too.

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  11. Just made these tonight, they are as awesome as they look! Could use any rub that you like. Put plenty of BBQ sauce as it soaks in.

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  12. I was skeptical about oven-baked ribs, worried the meat would be dry and tough. WOW! This recipe was a pleasant surprise! I never write reviews, but I had to give this a shout out! The meat fell off of the bone and the flavor was amazing! Great recipe!!

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  13. Suzy Skinner1/25/16, 2:05 PM

    We just made these AGAIN and they were amazing! The meat just melts in your mouth and literally falls off the bones. I LOVE LOVE LOVE all your recipes but I think this one is my favorite!

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  14. Do you still cook for 4 hours if using a convection oven?

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  15. What about a slow cooker conversion?

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  16. Should I remove the rack from the roasting pan?

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  17. we can use water in place of the beer right?

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    1. NO WATER NEEDED.i just make these with ginger ale.but never ever use water .do recipe as called for . believe me it works

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  18. Diane in Michigan5/5/17, 6:32 PM

    Making this as I comment...Pairing with your Flat Broke and Busted Potatoes! Can't wait to eat!

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  19. I rarely comment on recipes, but this NEEDS to be said! You took a recipe that challenges most people, made it simple, and fail proof! These are AMAZING! THANK YOU SOOOO MUCH! Amy

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    Replies
    1. WOW! Thank you so much for taking the time to comment! You just totally made my day!

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    2. Thank you so much .mine just came oven .I had to use egg flipper to get them out ,only thing left in pan bones and onions.your amazing thank you

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  20. These ribs came out perfectly. Thank you so much.

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  21. I found your recipe on pinterest a couple years back and this is the only way I'll make them now! A couple variations though: I also remove the membrane prior to cooking. My fave liquid is hard cider, but Apple juice is good, too. And when I baste with bbq sauce, I also mix in some of the pan drippings with the sauce. Game changer!

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  22. This recipe is AMAZING, thank you! I've made it once with and once without the liquid smoke and both times the flavor was delicious. Meat falls right off the bone and I'm in love with the recipe!

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  23. Absolutely delicious......amazing.... :-)

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  24. This is the best recipe by far!!!! Thank you Mandy! Adding that canning rims work well too in addition to onions, I ran out of onions so used canning rims. Worked great.

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  25. Has anyone tried this in a large electric roaster oven (like a Nesco)? And would using a foil bag liner (for easier cleanup) inside the roaster affect anything?

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  26. Do you have meat side up or membrane side up?

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  27. This is my go to ribs recipe. They are absolutely amazing! Thank you so much for this easy, delicious recipe!

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  28. Ok to finish them on the grill for a few min ?

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Hi there! While I’m not able to respond to every comment, I try hard to answer any questions that haven’t been addressed in the post, recipe or in other comments.

I can tell you now 1) I have no idea if you can substitute Minute Rice or brown rice in my recipes because I’ve never used them and 2) If I know how to convert a recipe to a Crock Pot version, I will make a note about it (otherwise, I don’t know).

And though I may not respond to them all, I do read each and every comment and I LOVE to hear from you guys! Thanks, y’all! - Mandy